6. European
Aeronautics for the 2020s -
The Advisory Group Vision

6.4
The Advisory Group Vision

The
Value of a Vision
We need a vision of the future to stimulate the whole range of activities
which will together create a more effective air transport system for
2020. It has been described as "a dream with a deadline" - a time-based
aspiration that stretches our imagination and challenges our abilities
to achieve exceptional results.

A vision
is not a plan. There is as yet no coherent set of actions that will
create this future. But the Vision is a clear direction; like
a lighthouse it leads us forward even though we have to cope with many
conflicting tides and currents on the way.

The value
of a single vision is that it gives coherence to the actions of many
groups. It does not dictate how each must act, but for those who accept
the final objective it maintains a sense of direction.

The Vision
does not lead to a master plan that is rigidly controlled and inflexible.
It allows the key goals that are steps towards the vision to be identified
- the imperatives that will need to be achieved and the compromises
required to reach holistic optimal solutions.

This Group
recommends that the stakeholders in European aeronautics should explore
these goals together, sharing views on what the crucial intermediate
steps need to be, agreeing the key performance needs of the future systems.
This does not mean that every aspect needs to be agreed - there will
be areas of difference. But it urges that we establish a new partnership
to seek out those areas where we can agree and allow this to condition
how we each travel toward the Vision.

Examples
of possible areas for exploration are

The impact of new ATM systems to increase system capacity.

The
scope for increasing airport capacity by innovative, and perhaps radical,
new approaches.

The
competitive advantages of new aircraft concepts and their implication
for the airlines.

The
implications for aircraft design and airline operations of new approaches
to passenger and baggage systems at airports.

The
possibilities and implications for very quiet operation of aircraft
with respect to communities living outside airports.